Kali Linux is a Debian-based Linux distribution developed for penetration testing and is especially useful for security specialists and enth...

Kali Linux is a Debian-based Linux distribution developed for penetration testing and is especially useful for security specialists and enthusiasts. Kali Linux, formerly known as Backtrack Linux, includes a lot of tools and applications for network audits. Kali can be run as a Live DVD and can be installed on a computer as a host operating system (OS) as any other Linux.

However, it is not recommended that you use Kali as a general-purpose desktop operating system. At the same time, when using Kali Live DVD, settings are not saved after a system reboot. In this situation, virtual machines can be of great help.

Here we will explain how to install Kali Linux 2024.1 on VirtualBox with the basic network configuration. Windows is used as a host operating system in this article, but you can use this workflow on Linux and macOS.

Minimum Req.

1 GB memory
2 GB hard drive space
1 GHz or better CPU

Recommended Req.
2 GB memory
20 GB hard drive space
1 GHz or better CPU
Broadband internet connection

Meeting those requirements should ensure that your computer runs Kali Linux 2024.1 with no trouble. But as we mentioned earlier, the desktop environment you choose will also impact system performance.

Downloading the Installation Image of Kali Linux 2024.1

Go to the official website and download the ISO image of Kali Linux. There are multiple 32-bit and 64-bit images. Each image allows you to select one of the graphical user interfaces (Gnome, KDE, XFCE, LXDE, etc.) during installation. The latest version is available on the main download page. You can also download older Kali Linux images if needed.